This invention relates to a bagel holder, and more particularly, to a bagel holder that adapts to bagels of varying thicknesses and holds them securely for slicing in half.
Devices for holding a bagel to facilitate the slicing thereof are well known in the art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 316,657; 343,770; 330,315; and 279,156. See also (utility-type) U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,347,296; 4,399,989; 4,550,636; 4,747,331; 4,948,106; and 5,228,668. Typically a bagel has a circular outer shape or circumference defining its width, and rounded top and bottom surfaces defining its height or thickness. The bagel also has a circular hole formed through its center and parallel to its height axis, resulting in a toroidal shape for the bagel. Prior to eating the bagel it is normally sliced into two halves by cutting it on a plane through its width dimension.
However, because of the relative hardness of the outer crust of the bagel, the dense mass of the inside of the bagel, and the bagel's relative narrow height, it is difficult to hold a bagel in one hand and safely, accurately and quickly cut the bagel with a knife held in the other hand. This problem has long been recognized and has spawned the development of numerous devices, including those of the aforementioned patents, that attempt to securely hold the bagel while allowing it to be sliced, ideally without injury to the person doing the cutting.
For example, it is known to provide bagel holding devices that comprise two similar halves that are hinged together. The devices open to accommodate the placing of a bagel inside, and then are closed to hold a bagel. Means for guiding the knife may be provided, along with handles to facilitate the opening and closing of the device. See, for example, aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,347,296 and 5,228,668. A major drawback of these designs is that they contain moving parts that can wear out and trap food particles, making them relatively expensive and labor intensive to manufacture and assemble, and difficult to clean. Other elaborate hinged designs for bagel holders are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,550,636 and 4,747,331.
The aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,989 discloses a bagel slicer having a pair of opposing side plates. A first plate is movable, while the second plate is held rigid. The main drawback with this device is that it is heavy and bulky, it employs a complex mechanism for moving the first plate, and it is not readily portable.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a bagel holder that can hold bagels of varying thicknesses in preparation for slicing of the bagels.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a bagel holder that allows a person to firmly hold the bagel by way of finger pressure applied to a movable side panel of the holder.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a bagel holder with a slot formed in one of the side panels that facilitates the removal of the bagel from within the holder.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a bagel holder that is relatively simple in structure, as compared to the prior art, yet is aesthetically pleasant due to the choice of materials that comprise the structural components of the holder.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a bagel holder that reduces the risk of injury to a person cutting the bagel in half with a knife by not requiring the non-cutting hand to be near the knife.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a bagel holder that firmly holds a bagel oriented within the holder such that the circular width dimension of the bagel is upright, thereby exposing the height or thickness side of the bagel to a knife for cutting the bagel in a normal manner into two halves using a downward cutting stroke.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a bagel holder with no intricate fixed or moving parts, thereby making it easy to clean the holder and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.
It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide a bagel holder with wide enough knife guides to allow the knife to cut the bagel into uneven halves if desired, and to allow the knife to cut a bagel that is thinner than usual into approximately equal halves.
The above and other objects and advantages of this invention will become more readily apparent when the following description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.